Delay in notifying award deprived TN water rights:

Udhagamandalam (TN): The delay in notifying the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in the Central Gazette has deprived the rights of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery and also in receiving the due share of the river water, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said Wednesday.

Speaking after distributing `Pongal` (harvest festival) gifts to the people at nearby Kothagiri, she said due to a bad monsoon, the delta farmers were in a dilemma, whether they could save their crop or not.

Karnataka was not releasing the Cauvery water due to Tamil Nadu and the Centre was delaying the notification of Tribunal Award due to which the State and the farmers had to suffer, she said.

She said her government had already announced a relief package to the farmers of the delta region.

It has already decided and announced to bear the entire loss of the farmers following the failed monsoon and non-receipt of Cauvery water from Karnataka, she said.

Moreover, a committee, under the state finance minister was set up to decide on the quantum of compensation to be given to the farmers and also to identify the districts to be declared as drought hit, Jayalalithaa said.

However, before the committee could file its detailed report, the Pongal festival (which falls on Jan14) has come and the Government wanted the state`s people to be happy during the occasion and decided to provide the gifts, comprising a kg of rice, a kg of sugar and Rs 100, she said.